NBCUniversal was the first company announcing it will release some of its new titles on VOD at the same time they would have normally hit movie theatres. Last week, CGI-animated film Trolls World Tour came out on various digital platforms and the studio claims that its launch was a big success. How big? According to TheWrap, Trolls World Tour was a number one hit on Amazon, Apple, Comcast, DirecTV, FandangoNOW, Google/YouTube, and Vudu.

Now, this may be just a silly children’s film – and a lame one at that – but there’s nothing silly about the studio bypassing the entire movie distribution business and launching its film digitally. Amid global pandemic and growing recession, movie theatre owners are understandably concerned about Universal’s move, wondering about its ramifications for their business. However, there are certain caveats about Universal’s success. Neither the studio nor the streaming services have so far released any hard data about the number of downloads. Furthermore, even if this experiment proves out to be successful, this distribution model might not be sustainable after the movie theatres open again.

In a recent interview with ComingSoon, director Sam Raimi (first Spider-Man trilogy) confirmed he would be taking over from Scott Derrickson (Doctor Strange, Sinister) on Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness. Director of the Evil Dead trilogy also talked about a deliberate Dr. Strange reference in the first Spider-Man movie, made way back in 2002.

Raimi is an excellent fit for what should be the closest thing to a horror superhero movie Marvel might allow. This isn’t the only such project in the works. Ill-fated The New Mutants is supposedly a similar genre mash while Warner Bros. and DC’s Morbius starring Jared Leto features a protagonist who is both a vampire and human.

GeekTyrant reports Raimi’s long-time collaborator Bruce Campbell immediately expressed interest in joining the movie. There’s no reason to believe he wouldn’t make for a welcome addition. After all, the pair met while filming Evil Dead. Since then, Campbell appeared in most of Raimi’s films, including Spider-Man movies. Most recently, Campbell reprised his performance as Ash Williams in Sam Raimi-produced TV series Ash vs Evil Dead.

Disney+ Announces Documentaries About The Mandalorian; Famous Movie Props

Ever since The Mandalorian ended its first season, there’s hasn’t been anything noteworthy on Disney+. However, this streaming service recently announced two documentary shows that will make good use both out of The Mandalorian and Disney’s impressive back catalog.

According to GeekTyrant, Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian is an eight-part documentary about the filming of the first live-action Star Wars TV series. Show’s executive producer Jon Favreau, as well as its cast and crew, will take the viewers behind the scenes. Episodes will look at various facets of the production: the franchise’s legacy, broader influences, show’s musical score, special effects, cast’s creative process, etc. Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian will premiere on May 4 – Star Wars Day.

While a documentary about The Mandalorian will interest Star Wars fans most of all, film nerds should be more than happy with Disney+’s other offering: documentary series Prop Culture. Prop collector Dan Lanigan will host the series introducing the audiences to some of the most iconic movie props in recent history. SlashFilm says that the show’s first season will focus on films like Tron, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, The Muppet Movie, and The Nightmare Before Christmas. The entire eight-episode season of Prop Culture comes out on May 1.